Head of State : Movie Review

Why can’t Chris Rock make movies as funny as he is? This time, Rock doesn’t have an excuse — not only does he star in the choppy Head of State, he directs and co-writes, too. Rock has given himself a premise that should have been perfect for his brand of satire: when a presidential candidate is killed in a plane crash, the party leadership (it’s never mentioned which party) plucks his earnest DC alderman, Mays Gilliam, to run a lost-cause campaign in a cynical attempt to gain favor with " the people " for future elections. But as in every movie that’s ever been made about a little guy running for prez, Mays gains a huge following by telling like it is. Not that this honesty ever deals with real issues — rather, it takes the form of that vague, chickenshit " We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore " routine.